


I open at the close

by TatianaMalfoy



Series: Call it what you want [6]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Angst, Explicit Language, F/M, Murder, No Beta, Poor Cyril, Smoking, Strong Female Characters, Strong Language, The Christmas Everybody Hates, Violent Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:54:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29446614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TatianaMalfoy/pseuds/TatianaMalfoy
Summary: It's Christmas....and it's a red celebration for the family.
Relationships: Alfie Solomons/Reader, Arthur Shelby/Original Female Character(s), Esme Shelby/John Shelby
Series: Call it what you want [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074353
Kudos: 10





	I open at the close

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Hope you're well.  
> This is my take on that Christmas that nearly made me want to stop watching PB.
> 
> I hope to see you in the comments!

"Michael, do be a dear, will ya? Get the car and go over to check if John and Esme need help gathering the children and come over. It'll be Easter at this point by the time they get here."

It was Christmas morning and the adults were gathered in the kitchen. Polly, Toria and Y/N were cooking up a storm. Alfie and Arthur were having tea and playing a game of chess as Tommy and Michael were each reading a section of the newspaper and smoking up the room. John and Esme were supposed to have been there for an hour already, but they hadn't heard anything from them. Ada and Karl were expected to arrive any moment, provided that the house was still standing when they got here. They could hear Finn and Cyril running after the little ones: Y/N and Alfie's boy and Arthur and Toria's baby girl... by the sounds of it though, they were probably running from them and not after.

No one other than Michael and Polly reacted to her request. As Alfie and her kept a close eye on both, it was easy to recognize the stiffening of their shoulders.

Michael put down the newspaper he was reading and asked:

"Why doncha just call'em?"

Arthur snorted at his reply and Y/N rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Michael. Because if they do need help, giving them a call doesn't really count as help, now does it?"

As he looked around the kitchen for a reason to not go, Michael's eyes fell on Ada as she came in, fresh from the road and obviously still dressed. They could hear the little ones cheer at the sight of their cousin and Finn groan at the addition of another soul that was there to torture him.

"Ada should go. She's dressed and ready!" 

"Ada should go where? Not likely, Michael!" the woman in question said as she took of her hat with one hand and slapped the back of his head with the other.

As he scowled and opened his mouth again, he was cut off as Alfie pointed his finger at him and barked:

"Right, ya little bastard. Ya betta quit ya yappin and go before I lose ma patience and shove my cane so far up ya arse it will come outcha mouth and it'll be Christmas dinner for ya. The cheek on you, mate, I swear you're asking for it. It ain't enough that I have to spend ma day witchu lot when I don't even celebrate Christmas, today is the day you Shelby lot have decided to riot and not do what yer told. Ha! The balls on ya, boy. Whatcha still doin' here? GO!"

Michael looked at Tommy as if waiting for him to say something, but he just smirked and took a drag out of his cigarette. Tommy was sure as hell not going to say anything. Getting put in his place every once in a while worked wonders for cutting the boy's aspirations. Had he had his hat on, he would have tipped it in Alfie's direction. Since he didn't, he settled for saluting the man with his own cup of tea.

Deciding it wasn't smart to push Alfie's buttons without back-up seing as the man was still mumbling under his breath about his cheek to not do what he had been told, he sat up and left, but not before making sure to grab his suit jacket of the coat rack.

As Alfie and Y/N looked at each other from across the room, they couldn't help but snort and wonder why hadn't Tommy or Arthur picked up on his behavior and his desperate attempts at emulating Tommy. But as Tommy's cup lifted in Alfie's direction, the two stopped for a second. Maybe this wasn't a lost cause after all.

The next half an hour passes in a flurry of cooking and hand twitching for Y/N. Alfie kept throwing her calming looks, but he knew they would be useless until this was over.

When the phone started ringing, Y/N jumped to answer, but Polly was faster. As she picked up the receiver, Esme's wails filled the kitchen and Arthur, Tommy and Alfie sat up straight as Ada and Toria slowly turned towards Polly. 

"Esme, luv, breathe! I can't understand ya, what's wrong, my sweet?!?"

Y/N had to give it her. She would have fallen for it hook, line and sinker had she not been aware of what she was.

Esme took a few gulping breaths and mumbled something along the lines of "He's dead..."

Polly dropped the receiver as her hands started to shake uncontrolably. Her skin turned white and her eyes were filled with tears.

"John's dead", she whispered and the reactions were instant. Toria and Ada gasped and the cups they were holding fell to the floor, breaking into a thousand pieces and tea spilled everywhere. Alfie curse loudly as he put his hand on Arthur's shoulder and pushed him back in his chair as he moved to race out of the room. He went to push Alfie away, but the larger man tightened his grip to a painful level and glowered at the man. As Y/N was stood behind Tommy, she put her hands on his shoulders and dropped her mouth to his ear. "Don't move. Don't react" was whispered in his ear as Y/N moved away and took the receiver and brought it up to her ear as Polly hugged Ada close.

"Esme, it's me. Breathe, my love. What happened? Are you and John ok? Polly mumbled something about him being dead. How are the babies?"

"What?" Esme shrieked in her ear. "No! John is upstairs with the kids while we wait for an ambulance. It's Michael, Y/N. They drove up the road and shot him dead on our doorstep...there was nothing John could do. The gun wasn't there..."

Y/N almost smiled. The good girl had listened and done what she had been told. 

"Go get the kids ready and pass him the phone. You're coming over once I speak to him."

Y/N could see everybody visibly calming down in around her...Well, everybody but Polly, whose panic was becoming more and more evident on her face.

"Y/N, what the fuck is going on? What have you done?" John shouted over the phone. 

His words were so loud that the final doubt drained out of Tommy and Arthur as they sat back in their chairs and lit a cigarette. 

Polly on the other hand looked ready to fall to her knees as her tears finally spilled and her body was taken over by an uncontrolable shiver.

"Get Esme and the kids and get over here. It's not safe there."

She hung up knowing John would scramble to follow her order.

Looking Polly in the eye, she walked towards Alfie and slipped her arm around his waist as his heavy arm settled around her shoulders.

"Michael's dead."

Polly's wail rattled the windows. Again, Tommy and Arthur moved to sit up but settled down when Y/N shook her head minutely.

"Ada, you take Polly to the hospital. John is bringing Esme and the kids around and once we settle the kids we'll follow."

There was no room to argue at her tone. Ada took a catatonic Polly by the arm and walked out of the room through the side door, forgoing her coat or hat. And Polly's for the matter.

Nobody spoke until they heard Ada's car driving away and throwing gravel every each way.

"What the fook is going on, Y/N?" Arthur roared.

"Ai!" Alfie roared back. "Watch ya filthy mouth around ma wife, Shelby! I don't mind sowing it shut if I need to!"


End file.
